Thousand Year old Hurt
by jimfinitemoriarty
Summary: We've never known much about Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball's friendship or why Marshall is the way he is (Rating may go up in the )
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Prince Barnaby Gumball shifted slightly under the large oak tree near the garden square. His biology book along with his notes were spread across his lap. As he got closer to discovering the perfect solution for his new solvent, the wind scattered the papers. "Ah!" He exclaimed, chasing them like butterflies with his small, eight year old legs. A few of them floated too high for him to reach, falling straight into the palms of an older boy.

Gumball gawked at him in awe. He was a slender,blue skinned boy, with sleek black hair that was contained under a sun hat. The boy appeared significantly older than he, looking to be about 19. But when he gave the little boy a smirk, he almost seemed boyish. "Looking for these?" He muttered coolly.

"Oh yes, thank you!" He said, rather excited this stranger decided to be so kind. He stretched his arms wide, trying to grab the papers from the taller man's grasp. Unfortunately, he floated out of reach. "Hey!" Gumball pouted. The elder rolled his eyes and held them out.

"Here." When reaching out again, they were pulled just out of grasp.

"Oh you- you-.. You buttlicker!" He shouted. Immediately as the words left his lips, he felt awful. He was prince! He shan't say things like that. Oh mother and father were going to certainly punish him! The prince was brought back to reality when the man in front of him began to float upside down in his face.

"Now now, haven't you ever heard the saying "respect your elders" He smiled widely, barring fangs. The younger didn't bat an eyelash, except to tear up. Suddenly they wouldn't stop coming.

"I'm so very sorry!" He blubbered, pulling the, unbeknownst to him, most feared man in the land, Marshall Lee the Vampire King, into a fierce hug. Marshall's cheeks lit up like strawberries as he returned the embrace. In that moment, he felt..strangely happy. As if this one kid, this one little speck of dust, or rather, gum, could make his cheeks burn and his undead heart beat again with one simple wrap of the arms.

When they pulled away, and the notes were back in their rightful place, the King walked his prince back to the garden's gates hand in hand. "Well, before we depart, don't you think it would be appropriate for me to know your name?" Gumball asked, giving a toothy grin.

Marshall once again rolled his eyes, this time at the boy's formal way of speaking. "Marshall Lee." He stated.

"And I'm Barnaby. Barnaby Gumball."

Lee groaned. "We need to fix that lame name." He chuckled at his involuntary rhyming skills. Thinking for a moment, he finally thought of one. "Bubba. It's perfect don't ya think?" The prince blushed.

"Yes, um. Thank you." A bell was rung in the distance. "Oh dear, it appears to be time for lunch." He got ready to make a hasty retreat. "Will I see you again?" The young boy whispered as the guards were coming closer.

"Well Bubba..you see.. I don't think it's best-

"Oi there's a vampire near the prince! Quick, grab him before the freak drains him dry.!" They yelled opening the gates.

The last thing Barnaby remembered was the deep sadness that shone bright in Marshall's eyes as he flew away, briefly glancing back at him once.

As his mother tucked him in later that night, stroking his bubblegum cowlick he asked, "Mother, what's a vampire?" She bit he lip, sudden looking frightened.

"Well dear, they're horrifying creatures who burn in the sun, and suck the blood from our sweet candy skin." She whispered darkly. "So, if you see one, yell for us, or better yet run." She then kissed his forehead and left the room without another word.

He frowned. That didn't seem like Marshall at all. Although, he had only met him once. Gumball sighed and let sleep over take him.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

_ "Barnaby!" _Peppermint yelled as loud as her soft voice would allow. Prince Gumball stirred after being startled, falling out of bed into a heap of comforters and sheets. She opened the door, peeking inside, hoping to find the boy decent. "Oh dear, I am sorry my prince." She went back to her formal speak, becoming once again his maid, and not his mother figure. "I do hope you are alright?"

He groaned and rubbed his head, pushing the covers down slightly so he could breath as he sat up. "Yes, Peppermint Maid. I am fine. Thank you for awakening me." _Even though I have no royal duties for today_, He wanted to say.

"You're welcome. Now breakfast shall be served in twenty minutes." And with that, she left without another word.

He quickly looked down at his diminishing morning wood. He sighed. This was hardly appropriate, Gumball thought to himself, laughing a bit at the unintended pun. As long as he wasn't speaking to anyone in such a crude manner, it would be alright.

He walked into his closet, searching for something casual enough for a walk. He didn't feel up to baking today, and Lord Monochromicorn would need some time to himself, he was sure. Searching through racks upon racks, he finally settled on a fuchsia hoodie with red skinny jeans and pink tennis shoes. The prince didn't often wear clothes such as this for walking through the outskirts of the kingdom, but it was beginning to get cooler as the fall swept in.

-o^o-

After breakfast, Gumball dashed out of the castle with headphones in his ears. He knew exactly where he wanted to go on his adventure as he would like to call it. Although, he wouldn't be hunting hug wolfs and slaying dragons as Fionna and Cake would be doing. In fact, if she were with him, her and the feline would probably find this rather boring. But enough thinking about them, this was his alone time. Key word: was.

"Ow!" muttered the prince as he fell on his behind. He rubbed at his back tenderly as the teen in front of him chuckled.

"Oops." He exclaimed, bursting into more fits of laughter as Barnaby shot him a glare.

Pushing himself off the ground, he got in the boys face. "What in Glob's name was that?" He yelled, their noses almost touching. The other grinned widely at the pink boy. "What a way to treat a friend, _Barnaby._" The way he said his name with such disdain, it sounded like..well like..

"I'm kidding Bubba, don't bust a gumball on me." He winked.

"Marshall..Marshall Lee!" Bubba said, half shocked, half excited.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

The prince lunged towards him, pulling the vampire into a hug. "Marshall.." He smiled. _Wait._

"_Ow my cheek meat" _Marshall exclaimed as he was socked.

"Don't ever trip me again." He said, picking his headphones off the dusty ground and sashaying away.

Now Marshall would never admit this to _anyone _but, his eyes did follow.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"So I haven't seen you in what, four years and you think you can just walk away like that bro?"

"_Five, _to be exact. I have just turned fourteen a week ago."

"Oh." Marshall suddenly tucked away the aching pang of his heart when seeing Bubba's smile, saving it in the back of his mind for a much later date."Congrats."

"Thanks. Now while I've changed, you seem to still possess that sadistic yet witty charm."

Lee blushed. "Uh, yeah well, vampire's don't change much heh."

The prince became quiet. He stopped walking, and grabbed Marshall's arm to do the same to him. "Marshall..about you being a vampire.."

The King eyed the younger skeptically. "Yeah?"

"Doyoureallysuckthebloodoutofcandyskinwillyoueverh urtmeohgoshimsorrywasthatracist?!" Gumball's words became a blur.

Marshall Lee's brow furrowed and he grimaced for a second, before returning to that infamous smirk. "I eat shades of red. Like, ya know, strawberries, apples, the works."

He sighed in relief. "Oh thank glob. Then..my..mothe-..was wrong."

"It's a common misconception I guess." He said, passing it off as nothing. "I am the only vampire in Aaa, so most people are just inclined to hate me. Heh, funny huh?" His eyes traveled anywhere but Bubba's, avoiding his no doubt pitiful stare.

"I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't offend you. I probably sounded extremely ignorant. Are your feelings upset?"

"Uh..you care?" He was dumbfounded. This prince has kept him on his toes and at the same time lit up his world and he had only encountered him twice.

"Marshall, of course I care. Besides Fionna, you're my only friend." Barnaby's cheeks tinted a darker pink when saying that, and suddenly the mood was killed.

_Of course he likes the stupid blonde adventurer. She may be ten, but she was already pretty leggy. Not that Marshall was looking. He wasn't that creeperish. And that's coming from the King of the creeps. But she's so immature! _He wanted to scream. But he bit his tongue. It wasn't his place. Besides, what did he care about what Gummybutt did in his life. He barely knew him. Okay, focus Marshall! He said you're his friend!

"Thanks. Maybe we should hang out some more Bubba. I mean, unless you're scared of a rough and tough vampire like me." He popped one fang out, intending to look frightening, but instead it made his dimples stick out proudly on his face.

Bubba blushed further and nodded playfully shovig the vampire. "Would you like to accompany me back to the castle? Since my peaceful walk alone has been, well, compromised." He smiled and held out his hand. The King thought this was rather silly and not nearly as manly as Gumballs made it seem, but he laced their fingers together, anyway.

**A/N: **

**I hope everyone enjoys the second installment. I'm sorry it's taken so long but I've gotten distracted. I am currently posting this while having what I can only hope is the stomach flu and not something life threatening. This better get reviews! I could've died writing this! (I'm kidding.) So just a quick thing, thanks for those who have followed and that one review I have so far. I appreciate it. I already know where I want to take this story and it's not all going to be light and fluffy oh no. But I won't make you hate me. Well...yet anyway muhahaha. Gumlee forever okay bye.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_**A/N:** From now on it will be in Marshall's point of view for the most part. It may seem like oh my god, you're skipping ahead so fast! But it won't for long. It's only their friendship up until when it turns sour (like in Adventure Time) around when Prince Gumball is eighteen. But it will throughout the story be coasting back of memories and then back to the present etc. c: _

Marshall Lee and Bubba were the best of friends from then on. Marshall taught the prince how to spit, and he in return taught the vampire how to ballroom dance. Bubba also learned how to feed sugar bats, how to pull the perfect prank and how to "live a little." The King learned how to fence, how to tie a tie (well, sort of) and how to trust somebody. And he hated that. He was falling deeper and deeper into his friendship that his heart would break in two if they ever parted. Only Glob knows that's happened before.

Today they were focusing on baking. Marshall groaned at the thought of it. Especially when out of the woodwork came Barnaby Gumball wearing a frilly pink apron tied in the perfect bow.

"Ready for a lesson?" He asked, smiling ear to ear.

The vampire blushed at the hidden innuendo that poor well-preserved Bubba wouldn't understand. He may be 16, but he was a saint. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose." He muttered, grabbing the red food coloring off the counter. "Aw. You didn't have to get me a present." Marshall said cheekily.

Gumball swatted his forearm. "Not for you. For the cake we'll be baking. It's red velvet."

Licking his lips, the vampire king exclaimed, "Mm, my favorite."

After the flour was spread all over the two of them, and the left over red dye was left white, the two royals slumped against the kitchen floor. "So how long we gotta wait to eat it?" Lee said.

"Well, no thanks to you, we have to wait another ten minutes. Maybe if you didn't get so handsy." He chuckled.

Marshall's cheeks were bright red. "I was grabbing for the bowl of mix okay, I didn't mean to get flour on your _precious _buns. And it's already been 20 minutes, Bubba come on!" Gumball laughed harder. The vampire grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Come on Mr. Poutykins, we're going to start on the frosting."

~0~

"It _looks _perfect Marshall Lee." Barnaby whispered, leaning over the bowl his friend had been stirring. He took one finger and delicately swiped some frosting out. He sucked it slowly and surely, smiling. "It actually tastes good! Oh I'm so proud." Out of his mouth came encouraging after encouraging words.

But Marshall didn't hear him. His head was pounding, ears ringing, and head locked on that finger. He gulped, trying to stop thinking about how seductive his little prince could be without even trying, or knowing for that matter. A twitch in his jeans made him brace himself against the counter and start scolding. _Glob, you've been around for a thousand years, you figured you'd learn some self control!_

"_Marshall?"_

He shook his head, trying to toss his inappropriate thoughts to the curb. "uh, yeah?"

He sensed there was something bothering Lee but he decided not to pester. "Time to frost."

Later on they stuffed their faces with cake, well in Marshall's case, red, with the vampire strumming lazily on his guitar. "Marshall?" Gumball asked after swallowing, a dollop of frosting on the edge of his lip. Marshall chuckled and leaned in, rubbing it off with his thumb only to lick it off.

"Yes, Bubba?"

The prince's face flushed and he forgot where he was a moment. "Uh, well.." He was so confident about this a second ago, but the minute his cool skin touched the royal's he panicked. "Kiss me."

Now it was Marshall's turn to flush. "Bub, why'd you ask somethin' like that?"

Immediately Barnaby looked down at his feet, rejection seeping through his pores like soap. Tears pricked the rims of his eyes, but he blinked them away. Unfortunately, not fast enough.

"Bubba, I'll kiss you if that's really what you want. I just don't want to ruin our friendship."

The prince nodded and then said nonchalantly: "It won't, I royal promise. I just, well, wanted to experiment. N-nothing more. I've never been kissed before and well, it would be great to happen with someone I love and trust dearly."

The vampire smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He'd dreamed about this moment so many times, but somehow it all felt wrong now. He wanted Bubba to want to kiss him for all the right reasons and this was not it. But he couldn't say no. It meant a great deal for the prince to trust him. He'd been sheltered most of his life, and had little friends. So Marshall of all people being one of them was always a big surprise. So he'd have to be a man, suck it up and kiss those oh so kissable yet underage lips. He set his guitar down and loomed over the younger boy, sucking in a breath. _It's not like we're doing anything dirty, lighten up Lee. _He placed a hand gently on Barnaby's soft bubblegum cheek, and planted it on him.

Bubba stood frozen for a moment, not expecting Marshall's lips applying pressure to his to feel so, mesmerizing. But, as he started to reciprocate, he pushed himself back and away. He shouldn't of liked it other than a scientific experiment. This was Marshall, a _boy, _and most certainly not a person he should be even acquainted with, let alone kissing, when you think of it from the Kingdom's perspective. What would his subjects think?!

"Hello? Earth to Bubba?"

He blinked at Marshall. "Uh, thank you. It was, well..," he searched for the right word. "..adequate." He settled for, turning away to grab his plate. "Let's wash the dishes, yes?"

Marshall Lee lingered for a moment, sighing. _I'd say it was quite more than adequate, man. _It bothered him that Barnaby asked HIM, yet was acting so weird about it. _Obviously he just wanted to toy with you, Marshall, like always. He doesn't care. Not to mention, that kiss was nothing. He's not even interested in men. You'll never have a chance with him, so don't waste your breath. _His conscience muttered. He ground his teeth together and mentally flipped it off. He grabbed his plate nonetheless, walking out instead of floating.

When Marshall went home that night, he did not sleep. He kept tossing in bed, his thoughts turning him upside down. _Why did Bubba have to ask me that? Why did he ever smile at me and tug at my heartstrings like the prissy bitch he is? Why does he make me feel visible again? Why does he exist? He's an abomination to my entire life. I never used to care this much, I never used to cry. Glob, why'd I ever meet him?_

He sighed. The anniversary of their friendship was tomorrow. Not that Marshall was counting the 731 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes since they first established it. Not counting the 4 years they had spent apart. Marshall Lee mentally screamed. This was not healthy. He's just a freaking boy. An underage boy at that. A royal for Glob's sake! He pinched the bridge of his nose. Why couldn't life be an easy ride like he used to pretend?

_Hanna Abadeer sloshed her way into their house, her shirt sliding down her shoulder and her body smelling of sex. She smiled brightly at her son, her eyes glazed over. It looked as if she were about to ruffle his hair, until she shot straight past his head towards the bottle of scotch on the counter. She poured herself a glass. "Did you eat your dinner love?" She was referring to the rock hard frozen strawberries she left for him to consume. The red had tasted frost bitten, so he only drank half before chucking it. He nodded anyway. "Good. Now if you're a good boy, I may take you out tomorrow. Something small of course. But out of the nightosphere, I'm going to treat myself to some special liquor." _

_They stopped at a small diner, trashy but sufficient. She threatened the staff to put a rush on their order (fries and orange juice with vodka, hold the orange juice) before they closed up shop. As Marshall stared out the window, he watched the sky become grayer by the second. He told his mother he'd be right back. He wanted to walk around a bit. He hadn't been out of the nightosphere since the mushroom war ended. Here he was now 13, walking among the land of Aaa. He didn't remember anything before the bomb went off, so he couldn't much of a difference in land besides the lack of ruins. He walked away from the diner, breathing in air that didn't smell like cheap perfume and a bottle o' whisky. The freshness filled his nose and he reveled and kept going, running until he came to a field. He rolled in it, enjoying the shade that cover the cool grass. No sunburn today! He thought, before reluctantly heading back. Once there, as he walked in, his mother slipped the last fry into her lips, looking over at her son. "Oh honey, you're back."_

His eyes flew open and he sat up, chest heaving with tearless sobs. "Globdammit."

_**A/N****: Here is the third installment and second chapter of "Thousand Year Hurt." I did portray some of Marshall's deeper thoughts and issues, but trust me, I am going to dive further. And this chapter is rather depressing, and I'm surprised at how it came out, considering it sounds more like 3 chapters in one, haha. I'm sorry if it seems..rushed, not with the writing but how I skipped, as I mentioned above it won't be like this for long. And it won't be all sad, but not all happy either. I tried to make this chapter a little longer, for I am heading to florida for a week and a half this weekend. I probably won't be able to update considering the netbook I have (I usually use my beautiful new desktop for this story) doesn't have writing software. But I promise I will update as soon as I get back. (Which is the day before school starts. Oh joy.) Enjoy this, and please review. It would mean a lot to me. Even if you say it sucks. Constructive critisism is always appreciated. If anyone wants to submit fanart for this, you may submit it to my tumblr: **moriartyissher-locked_

_**or if you can PM a link to the fanart, that would be lovely. Love you all. 3 -Bree.**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was 3 in the morning, and Marshall was crumpling up paper after paper, throwing them over his shoulder to join their brothers and sister's sprawled on his bedroom floor. "Oh, it's all _wrong._" He cried, reading over the lyrics once again.

"_That little kiss you stole  
It held my heart and soul  
And like a deer in the headlights I meet my fate.."_

He wrote a few more down, completing the chorus, seeming happy with the way it had turned out.

"_Eyes like a car crash  
I know I shouldn't look but I can't turn away.  
Body like a whiplash,  
Salt my wounds but I can't heal the way  
I feel about you._

I watch you like a hawk  
I watch you like I'm gonna tear you limb from limb  
Will the hunger ever stop?  
Can we simply starve this sin?

_That little kiss you stole  
It held my heart and soul  
And like a deer in the headlights I meet my fate  
Don't try to fight the storm  
You'll tumble overboard  
Tides will bring me back to you"_

He had finally closed his eyes at 7:30, falling into a dream state once again. A happier one, it seemed.

_The prince walked towards Marshall, smiling from ear to ear. "I've missed you, Lee." He almost whispered, grabbing the King's hand. He blushed. "Kiss me." Gumball asked then._

_Deja Vu, he thought._

_And so he took Bubba's word as gospel. _

When he awoke, tears were covering his cheeks, and he sighed. "I've got to handle the only way I've ever known: ignore the problem and run. Like my mother always had." He said aloud, to who he was not sure.

_~0~_

"Hey Fi." Marshall Lee said, floating into her tree house. She smiled and waved, getting back to her task at hand: wrapping Gumball's gift in wrapping paper. The vampire loomed over her, asking what she was doing. "Wrapping a present for Gumball, man. It's his birthday tomorrow."

He already knew that.

"And as usual that means another ball." Fionna sighed. It meant she would be forced to wear a dress by Cake again, which if you couldn't guess, she wasn't really fond of it.

"Oh, I see. Lame." The words sounded foul on his tongue, even though they were said smoother than butter. He had become accustomed to fake-hating the prince, making it easier to cope. He hadn't been friendly with the prince since they kissed two years ago. From then on it seemed as if _Barnaby _couldn't stand the sight of him, and he wasn't surprised. He couldn't stand it either._  
"Finished."_ She exclaimed, holding up a mangled looking wrapped box. He chuckled and took it from her. "Here, you do it like this."

~0~

Gumball ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly. Nothing was going right! His annual ball was tomorrow and the decorative bows had to be retied, the DJ had canceled, and he couldn't find an outfit worthy of wearing. All of his garments seemed so _childlike. _He was to truly become a man tomorrow, one fit for the kingdom. He was to be wholeheartedly dedicated to his people, more so than before if that were even possible.

Trying to rub the sleep off his face, he looked down at his list of all the people in the kingdom, prepared to cross of those who could possibly make a ruckus during the course of the evening. Scrolling down the list, he came to stop at one name, sighing heavier this time. His throat began to tighten painfully, and his eyes swelled. He traced the perfect script of his servants hand writing, willing the name to show himself. "Ma-Marshall.."

His mind was racing a mile a minute, flashing back to a month ago, the home of their latest spat.

_Fade in. There's cream puffs in Gumball's hands that Fionna turns down. Fade out._

_Fade in. They're gone in a flash, and the adventuress is determined to follow the noise on the roof. And some how the prince ends up on her back, umbrella in hand to keep from melting in the rain. _

_Fade out._

_Fade in. The troublemaker is before them,strumming his axe bass like he has all the time in the world. "Hey Fionna." His voice was low and rather seductive. Gumball shook that thought out of his mind and cleared his throat. "Ahem."_

"_Oh, forgive me. Heeeellooooooooooo your majesty." Then, sucking the color out of the prince's pastry, he chucked it at his face._

"_Oh honestly!" He exclaimed, face burning brighter than usual with embarrassment and quite frankly, white hot anger. "I'll be inside, Fionna. Let me know when you'd like more __**polite **__company."_

_Once inside, Barnaby ran to the window, just catching the silhouette of the blonde and the beast, soaring into the sunset. He put his head in his hands and cried, the tears falling even harder as Cake pulled him into her embrace._

The prince wiped his eyes and went back to the guest list, avoiding, yet not crossing off, that name at on all costs. When Peppermint maid came in and forced the prince out of his chair at 3 am, he reluctantly sighed, slipping under the covers. That night- well, morning was filled with unpleasant dreams of a certain vampire with a stubborn heart and a boyish smile.

_**A/N:**** So sorry everyone. Oh my god, a month since I updated? Woopsie daisy. Haha. The first week I was in florida and had no internet, and when I got back, I started school. I have been writing though. This is short and I'm sorry but I want to put something so you're not like ehhhhhhhh. So this is a filler. There will be a longer chapter hopefully soon. I'm glad people like it!**_


	5. Author's

I realize you're not really supposed to do these, but I'm totally BA so. ;D Anyway, this story is on hiatus. Not for long, trust me. I just am having writer's block with THIS story and feel I won't do any of the chapters justice during this month of school. So I will still write, but they will be short Gumlee oneshots, so I can get my creative juices flowing, and get something out there for you to read while this is "gone" I suppose you could say.

So this hiatus/hold type thing shall only last hopefully about a month or so. Love you all. Thank you so much for reading and being dedicated to my story. I personally think it's not my best work, but you all seem to enjoy so :)


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